“The return of the king in the men’s halfpipe.” – Todd Harris on Shaun White winning his third Olympic gold medal

“Anyone that was doubting if Shaun White could come back and clinch that gold medal just had the door slammed on them.” – Todd Richards following White’s first run

“This is the best partnering since peanut butter and jelly.” – Johnny Weir on Chinese pairs’ figure skating team of Sui Wenjing and Han Cong

STAMFORD, Conn. – February 13, 2018 – Wednesday’s coverage of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games from PyeongChang, South Korea, is highlighted by:

NBC’s primetime presentation, which begins at 8 p.m. ET live across all time zones, featuring multi-medal threat Mikaela Shiffrin competing in the women’s giant slalom*;

Live coverage of the men’s downhill on NBC in primetime, as Austria’s Matthias Mayer aims to become the first repeat Olympic champion in the event*;

Men’s skeleton coverage in primetime on NBC, as Team USA’s Matt Antoine looks to follow-up his bronze medal from Sochi*;

Wall-to-wall coverage on NBCSN, including Team USA vs. Slovenia in men’s hockey at 6:30 a.m. ET, a clash between Team USA and rival Canada in women’s hockey at 10 p.m. ET, and gold medal finals in speed skating, nordic combined, luge, and biathlon.

*outdoor events subject to weather conditions

Following are highlights from tonight’s evening and primetime coverage of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics on the networks of NBCUniversal:

SNOWBOARDING – NBC

Analyst Todd Richards on Shaun White after his first run: “Anyone that was doubting if Shaun White could come back and clinch that gold medal just had the door slammed on them – and I still don’t think that’s as much as he has.”

Richards on White’s gold medal-winning run: “Perfect. That is the run that he needed, and he put it down. Pressure makes him freak out in a halfpipe, and it’s so good for us as fans, because we get to see the best riding ever, whenever Shaun White pushes his limits.”

Play-by-play commentator Todd Harris on Shaun White’s victory with a score of 97.75: “The return of the king in the men’s halfpipe. White is the new gold! For the third time in his career, Shaun White is draped in the stars and stripes as Olympic champion.”

Analyst Bode Miller on weather conditions forcing the postponement of the women’s slalom event: “It’s a tough decision. I know they’re feeling pressure. The schedule is getting compressed, and they don’t want to lose these Olympic races. You have to treat this as you would any individual race, and you see the weather – it’s just not possible to have a race in that, so I applaud their decision.”

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FIGURE SKATING – NBC

Analyst Tara Lipinski following Alexa and Chris Knierim’s performance in the pairs’ short program: “They’re living out the moment that they’ve been working their entire lives for.”

Analyst Johnny Weir on pairs skating: “The goal in pairs skating is to make it look like you are skating as one person. In a corny way, like your hearts beat together.”

Lipinski added: “Like riding on a tandem bike.”

Lipinski on the Chinese pairing of Sui Wenjing and Han Cong: “All the feels. They said their goal was to be Olympic champions, and the only thing standing in their way was themselves, and they went out there and that was flawless.”

Weir on Sui and Han: “It’s all about creating an atmosphere, and that’s something that they’re so good at. This runs deep. This is the best partnering since peanut butter and jelly…the artistry, the feels, are just brilliant.”

Play-by-play commentator Terry Gannon: “PB&J – a great pairs team, but they never won an Olympic gold medal.”

Analyst Scott Hamilton on the resolve of Alexa and Chris Knierim: “They are forged in fire. They have something to compare everything to. Being married and being this close, they have gone through so much, plus they still have the highest results of any U.S. pair in recent history.”

Lipinski on North Korean pairs team of Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik: “Now that’s an Olympic debut!”

Weir on Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik: “They have great skills, but the charisma is what really sold me on that performance…There have been skaters from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the Olympic Games before. Power is a very constant thing in their skating school. This team is the first to really have the charisma that is required for top pairs.”

Weir on the crowd’s reaction: “People that come to watch figure skating at the Olympic Games look for quality and they look for greatness, and no matter where this team is from, they have that.”

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CURLING – CNBC

Analyst Jamie Sinclair on chances of John Shuster and Team USA in the men’s tournament: “In the last two years, he really has been preparing himself for this moment. I think it’s going to be different. That build-up has prepared him better for these Games.”

Analyst Pete Fenson, who was Shuster’s teammate on the 2006 U.S. men’s team that won bronze: “He’s been doing the work. He’s lost 30 pounds. I believe he’s improved greatly. In his first Olympics, I’m not sure that he was completely ready to be on that stage, but now, I think he is ready.”

Sinclair on Team USA’s chances in the women’s tournament: “I think they are medal contenders, definitely able to make it to the playoff round.”

Hamilton on defending Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu: “You cannot even measure how popular figure skating is in Japan. It is almost holding the rest of the world up. Hanyu’s stardom is otherworldly.”

White added: “He is very captivating when he’s on the ice. Now, of course, there is a curiosity of what kind of condition he’s in post-injury.”

Hamilton on if Yuzuru Hanyu will be the greatest ever, if he takes home a gold medal in PyeongChang: “Yes, it’s phenomenal, it’s great, it’s never been done. I think his cult status would take a quantum leap. But I do think when we look back on the history of this sport, Dick Button is the greatest of all-time.”

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ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

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